Principal Architect, Systems & AI
Job Summary:EnvisionWare is hiring an Architect to serve as the technical truth layer for a company-wide AI-first transformation. You will own architectural integrity across a portfolio of 40+ products, use AI to map and interrogate the existing codebase, and validate every AI-generated technical claim before it becomes a decision. This role is the guardrail that makes speed safe. You report into the Director of Engineering and act as architecture authority across the internal team and Contour pod. Contract-to-hire is acceptable if that is the fastest path to the right person. The right candidate has deep systems-thinking capability, practical skepticism about both legacy systems and AI-generated output, and a track record of working close to delivery - not detached from it.Job Description:SummaryEnvisionWare is hiring a Principal Architect, Systems & AI to serve as the technical truth layer for a company-wide AI-first transformation. You will own architectural integrity across a portfolio of 40+ products, use AI to map and interrogate the existing codebase, and validate every AI-generated technical claim before it becomes a decision. This role is the guardrail that makes speed safe. You report into the Director of Engineering and act as architecture authority across the internal team and Contour pod. The right candidate has deep systems-thinking capability, practical skepticism about both legacy systems and AI-generated output, and a track record of working close to delivery - not detached from it.What You'll OwnArchitectural integrity across all products and major technical changesThe architecture approval gate: every design touching system boundaries, auth, payment, or data models requires your sign-offSystem mapping, dependency analysis, and risk discovery - accelerated by AI but validated by youThe modernization roadmap: deciding where to stabilize, modularize, retire, or selectively rewriteTechnical guardrails that make AI-assisted development safe at scaleHow AI Changes This RoleAI is your force multiplier, not your source of truth. You will use AI to crawl and map unfamiliar codebases, generate dependency views, surface hidden risks, and draft architecture proposals. But every AI-generated technical finding is treated as a hypothesis until you validate it. You set the rules for what AI-generated work requires deeper human review - and you enforce them.What We're Looking For10+ years of architecture experience in messy, real-world production environmentsLegacy modernization expertise - strangler patterns, characterization tests, and the judgment to know when rewrite is justified and when it isn'tMulti-stack knowledge: Java, Angular, .NET, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes (or comparable breadth)Ability to understand unfamiliar code quickly and challenge weak assumptions - whether from humans or AIPractical skepticism: you use AI aggressively but trust it only after validationComfort working close to delivery, code, and teams rather than operating as a detached enterprise architectWhat Success Looks Like (First 90 Days)Run an AI-assisted codebase crawl and produce validated system maps and dependency viewsClassify the portfolio: stabilize, modularize, modernize, retire, or selectively rewriteDefine architecture approval rules for cross-boundary changesValidate any AI-generated technical findings before they appear in leadership or roadmap decisionsSet the technical guardrails that make AI maturity safe and achievableWorker Type:RegularNumber of Openings Available: